Double Victory for No. 65 Yale on Successful Day at Cullman-Heyman

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale men's tennis team tasted victory not once, but two times on Saturday at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center, where the squad impressed in wins over Fairfield and Georgetown. In the morning and early afternoon, No. 65 Yale (3-2, 0-0 Ivy) had to muster its best form to stage a comeback against Georgetown. Buoyed by the 5-2 win, the Bulldogs returned to the court in the late afternoon to upend Fairfield by a fairly comfortable 6-1 margin. Several Yale players contributed to both wins.

Yale's busy day began at its home indoor venue with the match against Georgetown. Though the Bulldogs might have wanted to conserve energy in the early-going knowing that some players would have to contest four matches in total by the end of the day, it was quickly apparent that they would be unable to do this, as the battle for the doubles point between the Elis and the Hoyas was intense. Each match was decidedly competitive, with freshman Tyler Lu and junior Daniel Faierman, playing at No. 2 doubles, putting Yale on the board with a 6-4 win over Daniel Khanin and Alex Tropiano. At No.'s 1 and 3 doubles, however, the Hoyas managed to claim both matches in tiebreakers, leaving Yale in an early hole.

The Bulldogs brushed aside the disappointment of losing the doubles point, however, and proved to be the stronger team in singles. Senior captain Kyle Dawson led the way with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Shane Korber at No. 2 singles. Faierman complemented Dawson's win with a 6-4, 6-0 win at the No. 3 spot. Meanwhile, junior Zachary Krumholz won a hard-fought second-set tiebreaker in his match to record Yale's third point and all but clinch the comeback. Two of Yale's freshmen solidified the triumph over the Hoyas with three-set wins. At the No. 1 position, Lu fended off a fight-back from Khanin to post a 6-1, 0-6, 6-3 victory. And Photos Photiades, fresh off his participation in Denmark last weekend in the first round of the 2014 Davis Cup, found his form when it really mattered to defeat Jack Murphy 2-6, 6-5, 6-1 at the No. 4 spot.

Soon after recording its first win at home this season, Yale returned to the courts for the match against local Connecticut rival Fairfield. The Elis were able to capitalize on their momentum, and the match was a much more straightforward affair than the earlier one against Georgetown. Yale quickly secured the doubles point with 6-1 wins at both the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles spots. In winning the No. 2 doubles match alongside Faierman, Lu notched his eighth consecutive doubles victory; this streak dates back to October of 2013. Faierman and Lu were also the only players on Saturday to win four matches—two singles and two doubles. Faierman rolled to victory against George Tioutine of Fairfield at No. 2 singles, while Lu overcame Ian Tesmond 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1 singles. Krumholz, Photiades and sophomore Jason Brown also added singles wins to the Eli scorecard. The final score was 6-1 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Yale will now have three weeks to recharge before its next match against Old Dominion on Mar. 2 at 2:00 p.m. The clash with Old Dominion will be the Bulldogs' fourth consecutive match at home.